Conducted by one of the leading global software security providers Avast Software, the survey found that the US led the way with nearly 77 percent of respondents opting to safeguard financial data rather than explicit material on the smartphone.

More than 23,500 smartphone owners responded to Avast's telephone poll done decently. While Britain came in second with 72 percent, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico checked in at about 50 percent. According to the findings, people feel they will suffer greater consequences if their financial information is leaked.

"When asked if people prefer to have someone access their nude photos or bank account information, it was interesting to see that in all countries, the vast majority said it would be less painful to have someone access nude photos," the survey findings noted.

Despite concerns about financial privacy, less than a majority even locked their devices, it found. The poll discovered that people locked their photo apps more over banking apps, despite them being more concerned about their financial privacy.

The most protected app was phone messaging service WhatsApp. The photo gallery app came in second while social networking site Facebook came fourth. The least protected apps were the Chrome browser, files, contacts and text messages. "More than 40 percent of smartphone users don't even take the simple step of locking their phones from prying eyes," the survey noted.